10-Piece Travel Capsule Wardrobe: What I Wore On Our Smoky Mountains Vacation

My husband and I went on a vacation for a few days to the “Smoky Mountains” this past week. We left on Tuesday and came back home on Friday. We were wanting to stay a couple more days, but we were only able to stay a few days.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the cities of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are all popular vacation spots in the Southeast and are all next to each other, so there are plenty of things to do! We live about 4 1/2 hours away from the “Smokies”, so it’s fairly close and we usually will visit there at least once a year. It is my FAVORITE place to go and it never gets old! Oh, and if you live in the South and will be staying on vacation at any area around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, whether it be Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, Maggie Valley or Bryson City, you say you are going “to the Smokies” and everyone knows the area where you are going!

I have been going to the Smokies since I was a child. When I was younger, Gatlinburg was THE place to visit when you went to the Smokies. There were shops and hotels all along the Parkway and they are still there, plus some! If you have never been to Gatlinburg, Tennessee I highly recommend you go. You can spend all day in the town, from shopping for local treasures and gifts, to restaurants and museums. For the last several years, Pigeon Forge has expanded tremendously! It is similar to Gatlinburg, but their Parkway is wider and there are more restaurants, museums, shows, rides, etc.

Last year when we went to the Smokies, we stayed in a cabin about a mile off the Parkway in Pigeon Forge. We rented it through vrbo.com and it was cozy and quiet. We loved staying there so much that we rented it again and stayed there!

What I Packed For Vacation

As a general rule, I follow my post, “How to Build A Travel Capsule Wardrobe” when packing for a trip. It helps me know what clothes and shoes to pack when I travel.

Before I even started choosing what I was going to wear on vacation, first I checked the weather in the Pigeon Forge area. It was going to be in the mid to lower 80’s during the day and in the mid 60’s at night.

Next, my husband and I talked about what we wanted to do while we were on vacation. Since, we rode our bikes, hiked and spent most of our trip outdoors on last year’s Smokey Mountains vacation, we decided that we would take a more relaxed vacation this time and just maybe ride through the mountains, go to a museum and go out to eat.

So, when after we decided on our vacation activities, it gave me an idea of what type of clothes to wear. I knew I didn’t want to pack shorts or outdoor clothes, because in the Fall, the mountains can often be several degrees cooler than Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg and I get chilled easily when we go out to eat in restaurants. I packed several colors of jeans, a mix of short sleeve tees and a light sweater, two layers, a pair of sneakers and a pair of loafers, both comfortable to walk in.

The majority of these pieces in this travel capsule wardrobe are in the Simplified Style®: Dressy & Casual Capsule Wardrobe Collection! Mostly all of the pieces in this travel capsule are wardrobe staples which are the building blocks of a capsule wardrobe. Get your copy of Simplified Style® below:

Transform Your Closet!

I already had my 29-Piece Fall 2021 Classic Neutral Capsule Wardrobe on my clothes rack, so I picked tops, bottoms and shoes from my Fall capsule, easy peasy! I added two layers, a utility jacket and sweater blazer, from my closet.

The 10-Piece Travel Capsule Wardrobe

These 10 pieces of the travel capsule wardrobe will make at least 7 outfits. It will make more outfit combinations, but I kept it to 7 for a full week of outfits. You could also add another top, bottom, layer or pair of shoes for even more outfits!

TOPS (left to right):

Girlfriend Crewneck White Short Sleeve Tee – I like this tee so much that I bought the white and striped colors! Crewneck style tees have a round neckline, which look great layered underneath blazers, cardigans and jackets. The material on this one is just thick enough to not be see-through, while still being soft.

Silk-blend Crewneck Lightweight Sweater in “white” actually an ivory color – I tried this sweater on in the store and bought the “white” and “cool beige” colors. Even though the color is labeled as “white”, it is an ivory color. The silk-blend material is washable and is soft.

Girlfriend Crewneck Striped Short Sleeve Tee – I love the stripes design on this tee. The color of the stripes are an indigo blue, which is a deep navy blue, so you can wear this tee with either a navy or black bottom, like navy pants or black jeans.

LAYERS (left to right):

Anine Bing Olive Utility Jacket / also love this one! / budget-friendly option – This Anine Bing jacket is a bit of a splurge, but I personally love this jacket. I love the softness of the jacket material (most utility jackets are stiff feeling), the pocket placements, the zip/button closure and the collar. I linked a moderate-priced and budget-priced options that I also recommend.

Sophie Sweater Blazer in “hthr khaki” / nearly exact Eloise Sweater Blazer in same color – I bought this sweater blazer last year and have it in my Fall capsule again this year! The Eloise sweater blazer is new this year and is almost exact to the Sophie style, except the edges of the collar are round and it is about an inch shorter than the Sophie sweater blazer. At first the “hthr khaki” color looks camel, but it has a slightly cool color tone to the material, I love it!

BOTTOMS & SHOES (left to right):

Sam Edelman Aubrie Casual Sneakers – I highly recommend these sneakers! These shoes are comfortable right out of the box with NO break-in time needed. I wore these shoes 3 out of the 4 days on our vacation, with no issues, and love them!

AG Blue Mid-Rise Cigarette Jeans / also love these jeans! – If you like the look of a skinny jean, but want something just a bit more relaxed, these jeans are great! They are slightly more loose than a skinny jean, but still fit slim. I wish these came in a high-rise, since I am long waisted. Another brand of jeans I love wearing is Wit & Wisdom! These jeans are affordably priced and I own a few pairs myself.

AG Black Mid-Rise Cigarette Jeans / also love these jeans! – I loved the blue cigarette jeans so much that I ordered the black pair! These jeans feel just a bit taller in the waist since the back rise is a 1/2 inch longer.

Wit & Wisdom Ab-Solution Gray Jeans – These high waist jeans are perfection! They have some stretch, but hold their shape all day. Even though they are a skinny jean, the stretch in the material is comfortable.

Gucci Brixton Horsebit Black Loafers / Also love these Gucci-inspired style shoes!– This was a splurge for me, but I have always wanted a pair of black Gucci loafers. After a few years of saving up for these, I bought them for myself and I LOVE them! These shoes are comfortable right out of the box, feel great, are quiet to walk in and are true to size. They are comfy to walk in all day with no issues.

THE JEWELRY & BAG I WORE:

gold cz stud earrings – These are a simple earring to wear daily. I have the 2ct size.

gold halo necklace – I absolutely love this necklace!

gold beaded bracelet / also available here – This was a bit of a splurge, but the gold tone of this bracelet is gorgeous! I have been wearing this bracelet every day.

gold tennis bracelet – This is a great Amazon buy and great quality!

YSL crossbody bag in “dark beige” / shop preloved YSL crossbody bags / YSL camera bag inspired-style – This is a great little bag to wear while traveling and the beige color goes with everything. It has a removable tassel too. It is a smaller crossbody bag, but is lightweight and doesn’t get in the way when you are sightseeing. I can fit these items in the bag easily: my Chanel compact flap wallet card holder, small makeup bag, key fob, iPhone 11 Max Pro.

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What I Wore On Vacation

Here are 7 outfit ideas using the 10 pieces in the travel capsule wardrobe, along with minimalist jewelry and a crossbody bag. You can wear these outfits in any order on your vacation. We were on a 4-day vacation and I wore 4 outfits from this travel capsule. If you need to wash any of the tops or bottoms while you are on vacation, I recommend carrying a small travel bottle of your clothes detergent with you and wash them in the sink at your hotel, then hang to dry. The next day they should be dry and ready to wear! You can always add another pair of shoes, an extra top or bottom to this capsule to have more outfit possibilities!

DAY 1

Outfit Details:

I knew we would be traveling for several hours and wanted to be comfortable riding in the car. I wore the white tee, gray jeans, sneakers and carried my utility jacket. We arrived at the cabin later that afternoon and ate supper at Puckett’s Grocery Restaurant in Pigeon Forge. We had eaten once at their Nashville restaurant and they both have good food!

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DAY 2

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On Day 2 of our vacation, I wore this outfit. We rode through the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, visited the Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee, North Carolina and ate lunch at one of the picnic areas in the national park. The weather was much cooler in the mountains and I am glad I wore this jacket! We ate at Outback Steakhouse in Pigeon Forge for supper.

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DAY 3

Outfit Details:

On Day 3 of our vacation, I wore the ivory sweater, black jeans, sweater blazer and loafers. We went shopping at the Tanger Outlets in Sevierville, which is adjacent north of Pigeon Forge. I have been looking for a leopard print tee and had to buy this Luxe Leopard Pattern Tee from Old Navy! It is SO soft, fits perfectly (I bought the size Medium) and has a beautiful pattern. I added it to my Fall capsule wardrobe! I also bought this Ribbed Henley White Tee from Gap Factory to put in my Fall capsule when I switch out my short sleeve tees to long sleeve ones as the weather cools. We ate lunch at The Chop House, which is located in the middle of the outlets, the food was delicious and the service was great. I have Celiac, where I cannot eat wheat or gluten and they have an extensive gluten-free menu!

That afternoon, we rode on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, which is a favorite of ours! We usually see a bear or two on the trail, but oddly didn’t see any animals that day. Last year when we visited Roaring Fork, we saw a bear sitting on the side of the road and as we exited the trail into Gatlinburg, we saw a female black bear with two cubs walking along the creek next to a hotel!

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I took this photo of my Hubby and me while we stopped at an overlook along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.

DAY 4

Outfit Details:

As we were about to leave the cabin to head back home, I snapped this photo of my outfit. I’m wearing the striped tee, gray jeans and sneakers. I carried the sweater blazer with me in case I got cold in the car. I wore the sweater blazer when we stopped on the way home to eat lunch in a restaurant.

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Additional Outfits

These are outfits I didn’t get to wear since our vacation was only 4 days, but here they are for you to use!

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I hope you enjoyed this post! Thank you for visiting the Classy Yet Trendy blog!

A Bit Of Inspiration For Your Day

““The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them
    He delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The righteous person may have many troubles,
    But the Lord delivers him from them all;
He protects all his bones,
    Not one of them will be broken.” – Psalm 34: 17-20